Russian mil investigators confirm fire at N-submarine near Murmansk

December 29, 2011, 19:38 UTC+3There is no risk of nuclear contamination as a result of the accident in Roslyakovo

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MOSCOW, December 29 (Itar-Tass) – Russia’s military investigators have opened an inquiry into the fire that broke out Thursday night at a nuclear submarine undergoing technical maintenance procedures at a repair yard in Roslyakovo near Murmansk.

“Blaze broke out at 16:30 at the nuclear submarine Yekaterinburg that was placed in a dock of the Ship Repair Yard No. 82 joint-stock company,” a spokesman for the Chief Military Department of Russia’s Investigation Committee told Itar-Tass.

According to the data available to investigators, no one was killed or injured in the course of the accident.

In the meantime, the Murmansk regional branch of the Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense /EMERCOM/, which said somewhat earlier it could not confirm the reports on a fire that had ostensibly affected a major nuclear submarine, told Itar-Tass there is no risk of nuclear contamination as a result of the accident in Roslyakovo.

EMERCOM officials said the submarine was placed to the dock for scheduled repairs December 8.

“According to the preliminary data, the blaze was caused by technological encroachments on the standard repairs procedures.

A total of sixty men and fourteen units of technology were engaged in the operation to put the blaze out at the time EMERCOM sources were speaking to Itar-Tass.

Investigators from Russia’s Northern Military Garrison are getting ready to examine the site of the accident after the fire is fully extinguished.

Open naval sources describe the submarine Yekaterinburg as a submerging missile cruiser belonging to the Delfin 667BDRM /Dolphin/ family of cruisers.

The Dolphins have the length of 167 m, the breadth of 12 meters and the water displacement of around 12,000 tons.

They can descend to the depth of 400 m and develop a speed of up to 24 knots or 44.5 km per hour.

The Dolphin family cruisers are operated by 140-strong crews and are equipped with sixteen Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The North Fleet, which is one of the five major territorial divisions of the Russian Navy, has six cruisers of this type on its tables of equipment at the moment.